Ceremonial Dedication of the Rehabilitated Richmond Power Station

Unveiling of the plaque at Richmond by VINLEC CEO, Mr. Thornley Myers and Director of Special Projects, Dr. Jerrol Thompson

On October 25, 2018, following its total automation, St. Vincent Electricity Services Limited (VINLEC) hosted a ceremonial dedication of the rehabilitated Richmond Power Station.

The Richmond Hydro Power Station was fully automated with effect from August 20th, 2018. Previously, operations at the Richmond Station were automated during the night and for some periods of the day, during which time the Station was remotely operated from Cumberland. Operators were on site at Richmond for a few hours during morning and evening periods.

The automation process forms part of VINLEC's Hydro Rehabilitation project which commenced in 2004. Installation of equipment for the automation aspect of the project was done in 2016 and 2017. During the final quarter of 2017, staff at both Cumberland and Richmond had a series of sessions geared towards helping them understand the system. Training of the Operators from Cumberland and Richmond was done by Mr. Mikous Augustus, Protection and Automation Engineer, in December 2017 and February 2018. The test environment for the automation commenced in May. Three Operators were transferred to other locations, while one Operator is based at the location to make periodic checks at the site and to respond in the event of emergencies.

With the total automation of the Richmond Hydro Station on August 20th, all start-up and shut down and monitoring of the Station will be done by the Operators at Cumberland. This signals a new chapter in the history of VINLEC as the Company moves towards integrating more advanced technology in its Operations.